State Finalizes Regulations to Implement Occupational Licensing Reform

October 18, 2024 – Tomorrow, October 19, 2024, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) will publish the final regulations to implement Act 53 of 2020, commonly known as “the Occupational Licensing Reform Act.” The regulations will go into effect as of that date.  Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) applauds these regulations,…

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Immigrant Rights

All immigrant workers, documented or undocumented, have legal rights at work.  Our federal, state, and local labor laws protect immigrant workers against wage theft and discrimination and harassment at work. Unfortunately, immigrant workers (especially those who are undocumented) are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by employers. All to often, employers threaten workers with immigration consequences if…

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Harassment & Discrimination

All workers have the right to work free from discrimination and harassment.  Under federal, state, and local law, it is illegal for your employer to treat you differently because you belong to a “protected class,” including (but not limited to) race/color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, age (40 or older), national origin,…

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Health & Safety

All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  CLS assists workers seeking to understand their rights to a safe and healthy workplace, job-protected leave, and how to enforce those rights and protect against retaliation. CLS offers resources, advocacy, and legal guidance to support workers who have concerns…

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Fair Workweek

If you are a service, hospitality, or retail worker in Philadelphia and your employer has at least 250 workers in 30 locations across the world, you have rights under Philadelphia’s Fair Workweek Law! You may be entitled to get your work schedule ahead of time and be paid if your employer makes last-minute changes to…

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Wage Theft

Employers violate wage laws in various ways. Employers steal workers’ labor by failing to pay for all hours worked, not paying minimum wage or overtime, making illegal deductions from pay, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors, among other things.   CLS assists workers who are victims of wage theft by advocating on behalf of workers with…

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Organizing with Co-Workers

Federal law protects the rights of most private-sector employees to act together to address workplace conditions, with or without a union, through open conversations with one or more co- workers. Protected collective action can include talking to coworkers about wages, benefits, and working conditions, or joining together to talk directly to the employer to address…